In this article a method to evaluate defect dimensions in adhesively bonded lap joints based on the measurement of scattering effects of ultrasonic guided waves is presented. A simplified theoretical model is proposed which was initially tested in plates with through holes. The experimental results obtained using both pitch-and-catch and pulse-echo techniques for 500 kHz and 1 MHz frequencies confirm the validity of this model. To evaluate the lap joint defects, a set of samples with artificial defects were manufactured and the form and dimensions were confirmed using C-scan ultrasonic images. With the same methodology used in through-hole analysis, scattering effects of defects were measured. The results obtained with the pitch-and-catch technique with 1 MHz transducers allow us to say that an estimate of defect dimensions could be done by using the proposed model with reasonable accuracy and according with the predictions.